Rene Magritte Museum

This surreal museum is real, we promise! Explore the life and work of one of Belgium’s most famous painters.

You can find art museums all over the world dedicated to a specific artist. Van Gogh, Salvator Dali, and Rembrandt are all examples. Yet - how often are you able to experience the art in the artists’ own home? One of Belgium’s most beloved artists - Rene Magritte, lived in a local apartment in the suburbs of Brussels. Lucky for you, you can visit the place where the art genius worked - and slept!

The Rene Magritte museum is conveniently located in his old apartment, where he and his wife lived for over 20 years. This was the breeding ground for his creativity, where he painted most of his masterpieces. Magritte has a super interesting surrealist style. You might recognize his “Son of Man” piece with a man in a suit with an apple covering his face, or his infamous cloud paintings. We don’t want to give too much away - his art is worth going and admiring for yourself!

The best way to see the museum is through a guided tour. That way you can get all the juicy details from a historian who provides the most authentic experience. There are two variations of the tour: the full tour: Titled Magritte and the Belgian Surrealism, the 1.5 hour tour retraces Magritte’s career along with Belgium's group of Surrealists. Or there’s the short tour: A 45 min tour titled Magritte in the Daily Life where you get a view of the apartment along with explanation cards for each exhibit. Contact(mailto: [email protected])

• History lesson: Rene Magritte and his wife Georgette returned to Brussels and moved onto Esseghem Street in 1930 after several years in Paris. Several years after the couple moved and eventually passed in Brussels, an NGO purchased their home in Jette with the idea to restore the painter’s apartment and turn it into a museum.
• The first floor is a completely renovated look at how the painter and his wife lived. Head upstairs to the two upper floors for biographical exhibitions highlighting the painter’s life and work.
• The Rene Magritte Museum was inaugurated in 1999, and has been a celebrated museum ever since!